Big in Spain

The San Antonio-based START Center, led by Dr. Anthony Tolcher, whose expertise is the earliest human studies of experimental cancer drugs, has quickly grown into a global research group with centers in Spain and China.

The company says that START — which stands for South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics — now operates the world’s largest Phase 1 medical oncology program. Phase 1, which focuses more on safety than efficacy, is the first of three phases required for FDA approval of new drugs.

START began in 2007 after a group of scientists at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center resigned following a disagreement with leadership there and set out on their own.

The unit in Madrid, Spain, which opened in 2008, recently was awarded accreditation, the Certificate of Good Clinical Practice Standards, from the Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid, START announced last week.

“This accreditation is continued validation of the exceptional standards of quality and excellence, as well as principles of good practice that underpin START’s global operations.” Tolcher said in a statement. “It also is further evidence that START’s Phase I units rank among the world’s premier sites for developing innovative oncology drugs.”

START Madrid has more than 200 patients enrolled in 19 active trials, and has contracts with 17 different pharmaceutical companies. The third operation is located in Shanghai, China.